"Nona" stars Kate Bosworth and was written and directed by her husband, Michael Polish. Bosworth, an actress and activist, will be awarded with the festival’s first Founder’s Award. The role of Nona is played by Sulem Calderon, pictured above. (Photo courtesy Richmond International Film and Music Festival)
Thirty-five countries, including Spain, Italy and Australia, will be represented in film screenings and music performances at the six-day Richmond International Film & Music Festival (RIFF), April 23-29.
The RIFF will bestow its first Founders Award to actress Kate Bosworth for her role in producing and starring in “Nona,” a narrative feature following a young Honduran woman swept into sex trafficking.
RIFF Director Heather Waters says Bosworth was a “natural fit” for the Founders Award — an honor Waters says will be presented at future festivals — as the actress and activist is a “role model and leader across a lot of different sectors and communities.”
A panel discussion featuring Bosworth, her husband, Michael Polish — who wrote, directed and co-produced the film — and human trafficking experts will follow the opening-night screening on April 24.
Played by Sulem Calderon, Nona is taken advantage of when she attempts to travel to the United States from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to reunite with her mother. Waters says the character-driven aspect of the film makes it stand out from other human trafficking narratives.
“It also sheds light on people who are trying to escape a situation or are pulled into something to come to [North] America,” she says.
Also included in the documentary feature category is “Above the Drowning Sea,” a Canadian film recounting the efforts of European Jews to escape to China during World War II. A Q&A session with filmmakers Rene Balcer and Carolyn Hsu-Balcer will follow the April 26 screening at The Byrd Theatre.
Web series such as the German “Dear Mankind” indie space saga and “#Reality2.0,” a UK social commentary anthology addressing issues faced by the young, British and black, will screen at The Hofheimer Building on April 24.
International bands — including the London-based live music collective Ibido Sound Machine, scheduled to take the stage at The National on April 26 — in addition to those based in the U.S. and a few local groups, are included in the lineup. Brooklyn soul and pop singer-songwriter Zaxai, who sings in six languages, will perform at Sound of Music on April 26.
Waters says one of her goals upon founding the festival was to bring an international perspective to the mid-Atlantic region.
“We’re always at RIFF looking to find films that bring substance, both from an international, but also from a topic perspective that we feel is going to spread awareness,” Waters says.
Individual ticket prices vary. Festival pass packages grant entry to music and/or film events. $40 to $375. “Nona” will screen at The Byrd Theatre at 7:15 p.m. on April 24. $13.75. 2908 W. Cary St. 804-219-0675 or rvafilmfestival.com
